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United States
'The United States '''is one of the main playable armies in Flames of War, Team Yankee, Nam 1965-72, and The Great War. They have army lists for all the three periods, with both tank formations and infantry formations being available. Overview ''The US Army focused on standardization to enable it to fight a war on a far-away continent. At the beginning of 1944, they had one type of medium tank, one type of light tank, one armored infantry organization and one infantry organization. This makes it easy if you are planning to field an American force. Your most important decision is how to combine these standardized components to win your battles. '' ''Do you want to go tank-heavy, with just a little infantry support? Do you want to field a solid infantry force with a few tanks for backup? Or do you want to field a balanced mix with the right tool for every situation? The American forces in this game represent the fresh divisions pouring into Europe ready for the D-Day landings. They are well trained and eager for battle, although still lacking in actual combat experience to polish off the rough edges and teach them the difference between training and life-or-death battle. Most are rated as Confident, Trained, and Aggressive. Their eagerness shows in their ‘Blood and Guts’ approach to warfare which gives their tanks a better Last Stand rating and their infantry a better Rally rating. American tanks have stabilizers so they can fire as quickly on the move as at the halt (although not as accurately). On the other hand, they are not heavily armored and mount mid-range guns, so need to use the weight of numbers and clever maneuvring rather than frontal firefights to defeat enemy tanks. Their infantry soldiers have the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifles and BAR automatic rifles, as well as half-track-mounted weapons, and can fire just as well on the move as they can when halted. They are fast moving and have plenty of fire support. Let their support pound the enemy while the maneuver, then swamp the enemy in fire and roll over them from an unexpected direction. The American strategy can be summarized in the phrase mobile tactics. They win by using their mobility and numbers to outflank their opponents and keep them off balance while applying massed firepower to overwhelm any opposition. Available Formations The Great War Infantry formations with limited artillery support and French tank support. Either the US Army or the US Marine Corps companies might be deployed. World War II The US Forces for the entire World War II retain the formations throughout the war - only the equipment changes. The sole exceptions are Parachute Rifle Companies and Glider Rifle Companies introduced in Fortress Europe handbook as Late-war formations. Veteran tank companies for Late-war differ from their basic counterparts with different stats and increased point cost. Tank Formations * M3 Lee tank company - the Sherman tank's predecessor, only used in Mid-war. * M4 Sherman tank company - used both in Mid-war and Late-war with similar support units. Cost-effective medium tanks with integrated support. A full company of 17 tanks with a recon patrol and self-propelled mortars and artillery for just 70 points, leaving space for support. Stabilizers for greater volume of fire on the move. Flexibility. Can swap out a platoon of M4 Shermans medium tanks for a platoon of M3/M5 Stuart light tanks or M3 Lee medium tanks, as well as an M26 Pershing platoon for 1945 battles. * Stuart light tank company - older M3 Stuarts are used for Mid-War and newer M5 Stuarts are for Late-War. * Tank Destroyer company - with the M10 tank destroyers used in combat platoons. For Late-war battles, they might be replaced with M18 Hellcat or M36 Jackson tank destroyers. Infantry Formations * Rifle Company * Armoured Rifle Company * Parachute Rifle Company (Late-war only) * Glider Rifle Company (Late-war only) The Vietnam War Coming soon. Team Yankee Coming soon. Special Rules Common Blood 'n Guts (Late-War: Fortress Europe) What American soldiers lack in experience, they make up for in fighting spirit. The enemy can't keep them down for long. Tanks with Blood 'n Guts have better Last Stand ratings. Infantry and Guns have better Rally ratings. Under Command (V3) Any Unit Leader may be the Spotting Team for an Artillery Bombardment. Armored vehicles Stabilizer The main gun mounts of American tanks are fitted with gyrostabilizers, which keep the gun level while the tank is moving. While this clever mechanism lets the gunner fire faster and more accurately, shooting on the move is nevertheless still difficult. Instead of having a reduced Moving Rate of Fire, weapons with Stabiliser suffer a +1 penalty to hit if the shooting Tank Moved in the Movement Step. Secondary Weapon (Mid-War only) The M3 Lee medium tank has both a hull-mounted 75mm gun and a secondary turret with a 37mm gun. While both can be fired at the same time, the tank's commander can only assist the gunner of the main gun to find targets, leaving the turret gunner to his own devices. A Tank may fire its Secondary Weapon at ROF 1 at the same time the main gun is fired. If they do this, the secondary weapon suffers a +1 penalty to hit if the Tank Moved in the Movement Step. Each weapon may fire at a different target. Seek, Strike and Destroy Tank destroyer doctrine is about ambushing enemy tank attacks from concealed positions, hitting them hard and fast with devastating effect, then retreating before the enemy can retaliate. A Unit with Seek, Strike and Destroy may attempt a Shoot and Scoot Movement Order after succeeding in a Blitz Move Movement Order earlier in the same turn. Infantry Determined (Mid-War) What "the dogfaces" of the United States Army's infantry lack in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm and fighting spirit. Enemy fire won't keep their heads down for long. Determined troops have a better Rally rating. Observer Plentiful radios let every infantry officer request artillery fire. The Unit Leader of a Unit with the Observer special rule can spot for any friendly Artillery Unit. Truscott Trot (V3) US Infantry Units move faster at Dash speed. Artillery Time on Target If an Artillery Unit with Time on Target ranges in on the first attempt, any Infantry or Gun Teams hit by the Bombardment must re-roll successful Saves. Gallery Late War_02a.png|A tank company diagram from "Open Fire!" book. USAB09-12.png|The 2017 edition force chart. Fighting First force chart.png|The Mid-War force chart published in 2018. FWBX09-35.jpg|The list of available formations for the current Late-War edition. Late War_02b.png|Combat tank platoons diagram for the Third Edition. Late War_02c.png M3 Stuart US.png|A sample Mid-War V4 unit card. FWBX09-42.jpg OF_12.png|American Infantry painting guide. Category:Under Construction Category:Game mechanics Category:Mid-war Category:Late-war